Antonio Mazzaro is a Kentuckian, Lawyer, and Radio/TV/Film graduate of Northern Kentucky University--but he would love it if you didn't hold any of those things against him. Antonio's covered shows including Breaking Bad for Post Show Recaps, and Jack Benny, My Morning Jacket, and the Cincinnati Bearcats are a few of his favorite things. The TV character he would most like to emulate is his hero, Mr. Rogers. Follow Antonio on Twitter: @acmazzaro.

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I thought episode four was outstanding. No spoilers here before podcast, but I will say it was rich in character interactions and action!

Tom Dubick (Young Engineers Of

I thought it was a nice touch seeing Tyrion upset when he saw his former soldiers die….there is always a cost in GOT

dandodge

IT IS THE DAGGER THAT CREATED THE KNIGHT KING?

Yark Narf

It looked like the dagger that created Knight King was flint knapped dragon glass. But it (catspaw) must have importance having been pictured in the Citadel book Sam was reading. Also Bran seem to recognized it.

dandodge

we saw that dagger in a book Sam was reading at the citadel

Yark Narf

The production, music, acting and all the touches were spectacular.
As far as craftsmanship, it’s just amazing; better than blockbuster movies.
I still have issues with stuff that makes no sense, unnatural exposition, blatant call-back catch phrases, etc, but I think that’s just the new way, now.
So for jaw-dropping spectacle this is easily a top-5 episode but over-all it doesn’t make my top-10 of list episodes, but not far off.
– Golden Company: Could that be a way for Daario to return?
– I think the dagger going through Bran was just a convenience to get the thing to Arya. I still see LF being undone by Sweet Robin in a bad mood. Arya needs to head to Kings Landing. Too much talk of lists for her not to go try to take out Cercei.
– Can’t see Jamie not being captured there. (btw in slow-mo is does look like Bronn and not Dickon (lol) who saved him). This puts Jamie back in the same spot as season 2 as a prisoner. Will Cersei negotiate? Seems unlikely. Maybe that contributes to Jamie turning. Tyrion will have time to work his magic on his brother too.
– We will get a Tyrion/Bronn reunion next week, presumably, unless Bronn manages some logic bending escape.
– I guess Bran has seen all that ever was, is, and will be. I figure as long as he is calm and chill then everything is going well. He must be just letting it all play out, trying to avoid dropping spoilers for people, and enjoying the show. Basically Bran is the only one left with insider “I read the books” info. If Bran starts to get freaked out screaming “that’s not supposed to happen!” then we should start to get worried.

TrentC

I must needs a rewatch. I thought it was Bronn who dove/pushed Jaime into the water to save him and then drown in the last shot. I admittedly wasn’t watching a 1080p copy.

Williams as Arya is knocking it out of the park this year. Her little fake/uncomfy smile agreeing with Sansa in the crypt to hide her true badass nature was good. Loved the scene with her and Brienne.

So much win in this episode in terms of characters sharing scenes, it’s GoT pron in my eyes. My favorite exchange:

And of course the dragon battle scenes were amazing. Much better CG effects than we’ve seen in the past.

I’m glad you mentioned Bran. Has he really seen everything? I’m not sure he’d be speaking to Littlefinger and you’d think Bran would tell someone about the behind the scenes activities.

Unless Bran knows Littlefinger has to play out a role to enable a certain event, and then will die horribly.

Yark Narf

The dragon was mind-blowing.

Buck Hondo

You’re right about the dialogue call-backs. Even Davos gets in on the action when Jon says “how many men do we have, 10,000…less?” and Davos corrects him with “fewer,” the same way Stannis corrected his grammar the night of the Battle of the Blackwater. It’s a pointless bit of business that doesn’t much advance the story or serve the characters. And the last few episodes have been chock-full of these moments. Some people may like these call-backs, but I wish there were FEWER of them.

Yark Narf

I think we need to accept that now. When Dany asked Jon what she should do, I half expected Jon to say “I know nothing”.
It’s all so blatant. Instead of finding a way to remind us of Arya’s list, they’ll just have her simply say “I have a list of people I’m going to kill”. Characters are plainly stating their motivations and thoughts – essentially speaking to the viewer. Then there is the moments of supreme convenience like Jon finding ancient etchings that *precisely* illustrate their current situation. Then there is the spectacular feats of timing like Tyrion being right there to observe Jamie being right there when Bronn was right there to shoot Drogon.
It’s all very season 5. Nobody wanted to hear that then and they don’t want to hear it now, but it was true then and I think it’s true now.
However UNLIKE season 5 the action moments are so spectacular that they make up for a WHOLE lot of funkiness in the writing department.
I’m still totally digging this season a lot.

Austin

The Arya thing didn’t seem out of place to me. I didn’t view that as the audience being reminded so much as it was to inform the other characters. It was important for Sansa to realize that Arya is a straight up killer now.
The Jon thing was convenient, but it isn’t the first show or fantasy to do the history repeating itself thing. Didn’t distract from the story for me.
I’ll have to go back and watch the episode, but I don’t recall Tyrion being in special spot to see Jamie. It looked to me like he was atop the hill and could oversee the whole battle.
I don’t see why people are turning super critical of plot devices and realism this season. All the critiques and plot devices have been present through the whole series.

Yark Narf

That’s a fair interpretation.
It’s too early to know where things are going.
I’m a picky picker who picks, don’t mind me 🙂

Austin

Haha all good. I wonder now that we are away from the books if people are feeling more free criticize the story and plot since it’s not being written by their beloved author. It’s clear that there are some differences now that they don’t have the books to look to tho. Glad to know you can still enjoy the show while also being able to criticize it.

Chris Boone

I wish this was still done on Youtube. I can’t get the Facebook video to play. Great episode though, and I look forward to hearing it being discussed on the podcast.

christyk

I loves me some Antonio Mazzaro…

Nathan Featherstone

I dont.

Richard Harrow

Rob Stark and his mother had plot armor and that didn’t save them. Jamie drowning under the weight of his armor would be a very George RR Martin move. Great men sometimes die on the shitter, right? Closure is for Tolkien, right?

I love Bronn but it would have been more real (and fitting) to see him reduced to ash next to his pile of gold.

So you are probably right… Tyrion saw them fall in and will probably retrieve them both.

How did everyone get to the reach so fast?

TrentC

You guys buried the lead. Didn’t Mycroft the banker heavily imply that Cersei gave up the royal booty to pay off the interest on the loans?

Touching on Rob’s theory I believe Tyrion will haul Jaime out of the water, Bronn will be there, they will take Jaime and Bronn back to the Batcave and convince them the White Walker threat is real. Jaime will then try to get Cersei to help, causing the beginning of their conflict.

Enjoyed the podcast and the episode, thanks.

J-me not Hi-me

Ooh, love the idea of Tyrion rescuing Jaime and Bronn. He was certainly watching the confrontation, and therefore would know exactly where they went in to the water.

Jonathan Purves

I don’t think it was even a cliffhanger about Jamie Lannister, he got saved (presumably by Bronn) just before the dragon was about to eat him.

Nathan Featherstone

You realize the cliffhanger is about him drowning and not the dragon right

Jonathan Purves

Sure but given that Bronn is in there with him I don’t think they were really teasing it.

Nathan Featherstone

1. You are assuming that’s Bronn. 2. Your comment was about the dragon. 3. It’s was absolutely a cliff hanger. They didn’t resolve the issue of whether he will drown or not. Your fortune teller abilities don’t change that.

Asher Forrester

I’d be gobsmacked if we start next episode with Jaime’s corpse – that would be a shocker!! I’m sure he’d either be Dany’s prisoner next episode along with Bronn and the Tarlys, or his body will wash up shore somewhere and the others may think that he died.

I think the reason Bran doesn’t say anything to Sansa or to Littlefinger – he may know more than we think! Remember that he can see the future too, right? So maybe he knows exactly what will happen if he tells Sansa the truth or when he confronts Littlefinger about it. Things may turn out worse than we think….so maybe the best solution is to say nothing…or to wait for Jon’s inevitable return!!

Bran’s storyline may be the most rushed….and may be the most frustrating and confusing one of them all….but I’m really intrigued by where it’s going and what he’s planning to do with all the knowledge that he has acquired.

Dave Czech

it wasn’t cliffhanger, they ended episode that way but it was clear the dragon didn’t kill him so it’s not cliffhanger

Nathan Featherstone

The cliffhanger is whether or not he drowns!

Alex Curran

I am shocked by what a drop off that lake has. Jaime was riding right on the edge of the water, and Bronn couldn’t have knocked him more than a few feet from the horse. He should be laying in about three or four feet of water not sinking into the abyss. My guess is that last shot was more of a hallucination and he will wake up on the shoreline.

SaraMadridista

The only redeeming factor of Danny at this point is her dragons to be honest. I mean she keeps asking Jon to bend the knee, then guilt him in saying do you want your people die for your pride? What about yours? Again if not for dragons, Danny is not someone that you want root for this season, I stand by it, I think she is on her way slowly to become like her father.
Anyone think that was Jon who drew that on the wall cave? :p
Why do we always have to make Sansa jealous off arya in this show? I mean let Sansa live, she had no time to learn how to sword fight, the stark reunion was lovely at least.

Question: is littlefinger on Arya’s list? I mean she never said anything in either way, so is she going to kill him with the dagger Bran gave her and that is what he saw in future?

Jamie isn’t dead because his character deserve a better death than off screen one, I mean I will be pissed if this is how he goes, cersei needs to know he who killed Joffrey lol

Dave Czech

Why Ned Stark forced Balon Greyjoy to bend the knee? He was also king like Jon Snow. The point is that if you want to be a Queen of Seven Kingdoms, everybody have to respect it but Jon openly saying that he is king like Balon Geyjoy did. Jon is proud and stubborn. He’s saying that he doesn’t want to be a king but then he would rather don’t bend the knee than save the North before White Walkers, he’s hypocrite. It doesn’t matter if you are king or lord, it’s the same for people’s lives in North.

SaraMadridista

dont agree, we been fed this whole 7 seasons that Danny is the queen of the people who wants only good thing for the people, so when someone comes telling her that everyone is going to die, all she keeps asking for bending the knee and then claiming it is only his pride no.
It is like conversation that she had with Jon when they first met, when Jon told her that her dad killed his grandpa and she is like don’t judge me for actions of my dad, but then went on to guilt Jon into taking responsibilities for action for his dad Best frienst.
also I never been fan of the actress that plays her, so am really struggling with Danny as character

Dave Czech

By the law Tyrion is still guilty for Joffrey’s death. He chose trial by combat and he lost so law of the gods is stronger than law of men.

belinda

So….given how effective dragons are at warfare, is there any reason why they couldn’t just sic one on Euron’s fleet and be done with it in one swoop?

Heck, like what the fuck, they could have just had one dragon accompanying Yara’s fleet in the beginning and that would have been just fine. lol.

Yeah, seeing how easy it was to secure a win when you have one dragon, makes the first half of the season even more frustrating when dany and co. were basically doing everything else but trot out 3 freaking dragons just so the show could level the playing field and have cersei be winning before she gets taken time. Seems a bit lazy of the writers honestly.

Dave Czech

Yes, there is a reason, they didn’t want to risk Daeny’s life and also she wanted to stay in Dragonstone. Without her, the dragons are uncontrolable yet.

belinda

she didn’t really want to stay in dragonstone. she was advised not to, although again, with how effective just one dragon was in battle, it makes literally no sense why they had to go with other battle plans besides the show needing to level the playing field.

nah, don’t use the dragons and lose all your allies in one go when they could have burnt euron’s whole fleet in one go.

Nah, should wait longer so they can make more crossbows that also miraculously can be armed by just one man but is powerful enough to injure a dragon to make it harder for yourself.

belinda

can you guys go back to using youtube instead of facebook?

J-me not Hi-me

I have to say, I’m shocked that Bronn didn’t take the money and run. I was positive he was gonna jump on one of the random horses we saw running around and GTFO.

Also, he wouldn’t face the Mountain for Tyrion, but he faced Drogon for Jaime? Is he not “an evil bastard with no conscience and no heart” anymore?

TrentC

Could be Bronn was already there when fighting the dragon and it would help him as much as Jaime to try to defeat it. With Tyrion, he safely had the choice of marriage and money vs fighting a huge scary dude.

I don’t know why everyone is so down on the giant crossbows. For a first time experiment they hit the target at least. (after the guy lol!)

J-me not Hi-me

Completely agree about the crossbow! Even if it didn’t kill Drogon, Dany damn near fell off, and I think it was Tyrion who pointed out that while Drogon is nigh impervious Dany is not.

TrentC

She needs a saddle.

Speaking of which, did you see those Dothraki riders galloping full speed stand up in the saddle while shooting arrows?

I would be wearing my six foot long helmet.

yukonr

Bronn losing his gold could be a plot point for him and Tyrion to team up again (just a thought/guess), remember Bronn is a sell sword and Tyrion has told him back when they first met that if he was ever offered money to turn on Tyrion he would pay Bronn more to stay working for him

Yark Narf

#UnpopularOpinions – Could this season have benefitted from those extra few episodes they dropped?
Seems like with just a *tiny bit* more time to play with they could have made people and things move around more realistically and filled in the negative space between the AMAZING sequences and set-pieces more naturally.

J-me not Hi-me

WRT Bran not sharing what he knows: I took him saying “I need to see better” to mean his visions when he’s not hooked up to a weirwood are like those fast montages we saw last season. So if he’s seeing people he doesn’t recognize (like his father or sister), how the hell does he know where or when what he’s seeing happened? Or if it’s even happened yet? The other thing that supports my theory that he sees things in flashes is that he knew Arya was at the Crossroads Inn, deciding which way to go, but he didn’t know that she was going to choose Winterfell.

I think he is connected to everything that has or will happen, but he doesn’t know how to access specific things, and he knows that’s the skill he needs to help in the coming war.

And actually, I should probably stop calling him Bran, because I think Meera was right and Bran died in that cave. :'(

Austin

I’m quite certain Jamie is going to be taken prisoner. The big question to me is if Tyrion pay Jamie back by setting him free like Jamie did for him once.

Paul

Antonio is much better for this show than Stephen. His show and book knowledge is more comprehensive, and he seemed to be funnier as well.